Dawn Ruthless
by Dawn Ruthless
Summary: The sequel to 'Becoming Dawn Ruthless'. After Dawn finally chooses a name, where will her life lead? Will she stay with the good guys or stray to the side of the bad?
1. Scream

**Hey all, please note that this story is the sequel to '**_**Becoming Dawn Ruthless' **_**and it would make more sense if you read the first one first…but it's up to you! Anyways, enjoy!**

Dawn's Pov

Time passed by unnoticed. I remained in my contemplative silence until I heard a scream. I jumped off the roof; my panic making me clumsy and I ran into the ground hard. I cursed and groaned. I took a deep breath and used the air to push myself beck up to the window. I climbed in and ran into the room where I heard the scream. I rushed into the room just in time to see a man with sunglasses disappear into the ground. I cried out and whipped out my phone.

"Tanith, someone has just taken Val."

"I'll be right there." She didn't bother wasting time asking questions.

I paced back and forth around the house until I heard the sound of a motorbike tearing up the gravel of the driveway. I rushed outside and explained everything.

"Sanguine." She growled suddenly.

"What?"

"One of the annoying bad guys that just won't stay down."

"How do you know it's him?"

"Seriously Dawn, do you know anyone else who can tunnel underground and constantly wears sunglasses?"

"Well, I know someone who wears sunglasses…"

"I'll call Skulduggery."

I sat impatiently while Tanith called her friend and explained the situation. There was muttering on the other end and Tanith snarled.

"Fine then!" She slammed the phone down.

"He says he can't get back in time to help and Fletcher wouldn't know the place."

I groaned.

"It's just us then?"

"No surprise there. Come on, let's go save Val."

We were speeding through the streets when a thought occurred to me and I frowned.

"How do you know where she is?" I shouted.

"I don't! I'm guessing." She called back and I paled.

"What?"

"All the bad guys always seem to gather up in Serpine's old castle, it's really stupid but helpful for us."

I kept my thoughts to myself and hoped that she was right.

We reached our destination and Tanith flipped out the back wheel so that we parked against the wall. I had to hold my arm out to the wall so that I didn't fall off. I swore at her under my breath and got off. Tanith was already ten steps ahead of me with her sword out and I almost felt pity for the man who had taken Valkyrie; I knew he was going to regret it.

We crept through the dark corridors and I shivered. I heard plenty of scuttling and squeaking and made sure to stay away from the walls. We stopped outside each door and listened. We kept doing this for 20 minutes until we heard an annoying Texan drawl coming from behind one. We listened harder.

"They aren't coming lil darlin'. Not without the skeleton, so please stop talkin' my ear off."

Valkyrie didn't answer but we heard an intake of breath and the sound of someone spitting. There was a shout of anger and a slap. Valkyrie cried out and I looked at Tanith. I could tell that wasn't going to stand out here any longer. With a shout, she kicked the door down and strode in. Sanguine stepped back and cursed.

"Why are you here? I thought the skeleton was in America."

"He is." Tanith said coldly. "But we can take care of ourselves."

Sanguine rolled his metaphorical eyes and put his feet together, but Tanith was bloody fast and sent her foot into the back of his knee. With a startled yelp, Sanguine fell backward and Tanith stood over him.

"Come and have a go… If you think you're hard enough."

Sanguine growled and launched himself up, intending to catch Tanith by surprise, but that seemed impossible for her and she casually flicked her sword out and he shouted in pain as it opened up his thigh. Sanguine ran-well hopped-after Tanith and she ran up the wall and held the sword below her. Sanguine tried to reach up but Tanith evaded him and stuck her sword into his shoulder. He turned away from Tanith and used his uninjured arm to swing his razor at me. The razor entered my body just as Tanith's sword sliced through his neck. I felt cold seeping through my body and looked down at the hole in my chest. Everything went black.

Valkyrie's Pov

I was tied to the chair with rope and couldn't use my elemental powers to help Tanith. I saw as Sanguine turned on Dawn and stabbed her through the chest. Tanith slit his throat but she was too slow. Everything seemed to move slowly as Dawn collapsed and fell to the ground.

"No." I whispered.

I remembered something and cursed myself for not thinking of it sooner. I concentrated on my shadows and brought them out and used them to stop the blood from escaping Dawn's body. Sanguine had been stupid not to use bound chains. Tanith saw what I was doing and quickly came over to release me from the chair. I rubbed my wrists and then turned all my attention to the shadows keeping Dawn alive.

Dawn's Pov

I woke up in a hospital room and looked around me in confusion. A head entered my field of vision and I saw Tanith standing over me. I smiled weakly she turned around.

"Val, she's awake."

Valkyrie hurried over and I had to endure their endless fussing until finally had enough.  
>"Stop! Where am I?"<p>

"This is Kenspeckle's lab, he fixed you up. He's a grouch but a good man."

"I'll take your word-." My sentence was cut short as I was overcome with a huge yawn.

They looked at me apologetically and Valkyrie instantly apologized.

"Oops, sorry, we'll let you sleep."

I was about to argue when I finally thought to look down, I was in a blue hospital gown and the hole in my chest had disappeared to nothing more than a bruise.

"Whoa."

"I know right!" Tanith squealed.

I couldn't answer her as I was still looking in amazement at my healed chest. Tanith seemed to realize that I was in no condition to chat. Tanith coughed and looked at Valkyrie meaningfully and her eyes widened.

"Oh right, sorry." She apologized again and the pair quickly left the room.


	2. Sulking and Pink Dye

Dawn's Pov

The grumpy old man who healed me wouldn't let me out of the room for the next two days and always seemed to catch me when I tried to sneak out. But I suppose I'm just whining; it wasn't so bad because Valkyrie and Tanith hardly ever left. I bet Kenspeckle was still nervous about why we kept talking whenever he entered the room. Valkyrie started speaking.

"Skulduggery's on his way home now and _I_ think I need to give him a bit of payback for not at least _trying _to save me."

"What have you got in mind?" I asked.

For once Tanith wasn't talking, instead preferring to listen with a small grin on her face.

"What is his most precious possession?"

"I don't know. Why would I?"

"The Bentley obviously." Tanith piped in.

"Exactly. So what can we do to sabotage the Bentley?"

Tanith looked up again and with an odd expression crossed between humour and deep sadness.

"What about the trick you played on me once Val?"

"Which one?"

"What do you think?"

"I don't know!"

"Oh come on."

Meanwhile I sat there and crossed my arms before getting fed up with their conversation and slapped them both over the head.

"I don't know either, so why don't you tell us Tanith?"

Tanith put on a sulky expression.

"Valkyrie once dyed my sword pink. It didn't wash off for _weeks._"

"Skulduggery has a sword?"

"Uh, no. I meant that we dye the Bentley pink, it'll be so funny but we have to do it before he gets back."

Val and I cracked up.

"Deal."

Tanith's Pov

The three of us sat grumpily in the back of a bus as we watched the streets rush by. Lacking the space for all three of us on the back of my bike, we had to travel the boring way. Thus the grumpiness. I perked up suddenly and grinned at Val.

"Let's have some fun."

The girls looked at me warily.

"What are you planning this time?" Val asked me suspiciously.

I pouted in mock hurt.

"Nothing, I just thought we should make the drive more interesting, but if you want to sit here bored, then go ahead." I turned and stared out the window, letting the bait sit there.

"Fine, what do you want to do?" Dawn asked and Val sighed.

I smirked and leaned in to whisper my plan. Soon, their expressions matched mine.

"Fireflies by Owl City." I insisted.

"No, we should 'Friday' by Rebecca Black." Val said.

Dawn and I stared at her, simultaneously shaking our heads. Val looked insulted and sulked, while I grinned with Dawn. She got over it quickly though when we started to discuss alternative lyrics.

"Let's do it."

We pulled ourselves off the rock hard seats and swaggered down to the middle of the bus while the other passengers looked at us weirdly. I couldn't hold in the small giggle that escaped me as I turned on my iPod. We waited for him to start singing before singing loudly over him, in perfect harmony. We were pretty good I have to admit.

_You would not believe your eyes_

_If ten million sorcerers_

_Blew up the world as I fell asleep_

It took all of our strength not to start laughing hysterically, especially when people started whispering and even dancing along.

"_Cause they'd light the open air_

_And throw fireballs everywhere_

_You'd think me rude_

_But I would just stand and stare"_

"Like Fletcher." Dawn added quickly and Val rolled her eyes. Another deeper voice suddenly joined in and I winced in pain at the horrible screeching.

"_I'd like to make myself believe_

_That I wasn't the monster you called me..."_

We spun around to see Dusk standing behind us; eyes closed with one hand in the air while the other was using a showerhead as a microphone (Don't ask me where he got it.) He opened his eyes and stopped singing when he realised we were no longer singing and instead glaring daggers at him.

"_What _are you doing?" I hissed.

"I-I'm joining in..." He whimpered as we glared at him in horror.

"Well don't"

"I was helping."

"No, you weren't, you ruined it!" Dawn yelled.

There was a chorus of agreement from the other passengers while the driver was clutching the steering wheel trying to remain calm. Dusk looked hurt and sulked.

"Well...You are all big fat meanies!" He said with a triumphant expression.

We all laughed at him and he scowled and jumped out of an open window. The bus was suddenly consumed with hysterical laughter as we heard a muffled 'ow' and 'the ground gave me a boo boo' before the bus drove out of hearing range. We allowed ourselves some more time to laugh and then I became suddenly serious, causing Dawn and Val to lean in concerned.

"Now, it is time..." I started ominously.

"To dye Skulduggery's car pink!" Dawn finished with a grin.

Dawn's Pov

"Dammit."

I looked over at Valkyrie's sudden outburst. She facepalmed and groaned.

"What?" I asked confused and she sighed.

"It's a good thing we're already going shopping. It's Fletcher's birthday today"

"And I'm guessing you forgot to buy him something?"

"Der, but I'm betting you didn't either."

"Uh, no but he's not my boyfriend. Besides, I've never had to buy presents for anyone before, so why should I remember now?"

"You'd better remember my present Dawn, or I will beat you." Tanith threatened, but the joking tone of her voice erased all worries. Well, almost all...

The bus finally stopped outside of the shops and we groaned in relief while the other passengers eyed us like we were freaks. Well I didn't see them having their main way of travel as a freaking fast as motorbike that could send us into nothing more than a huge mess on the road if it wasn't for the driver with the blindingly fast reflexes. Wow, if I had actually said that, I'm pretty sure they would have lost me half way through. I grinned. I am so awesome. Valkyrie nudged me and I shook my head to clear my thoughts and laughed when I saw where we were.

Still laughing, we headed into the shop and went straight to the modest clothes at the back. Tanith grimaced and I laughed again, of course _Tanith_ would find them distasteful I thought as I glanced at her leathers. Valkyrie pursed her lips at the selection before grinning evilly and moved to the other side of the shop.

"Do you think he would like this one?" Valkyrie asked with a giggle and pulled out a skimpy black lace set of underwear and bra.

Me and Tanith almost choked from laughing so hard and I pushed her over to the counter.

"You so have to get it. Fletcher's face will be priceless."

Valkyrie shrugged and gave in with minimal resistance, paying the lady at the counter. Valkyrie grimaced at the price.

"This had better be worth it."

"Oh it will. Trust me."

"Why does that fill me with so little confidence."

"Hey!" I shouted in mock hurt.

The lady shushed us and we stuck our tongue at her and leaving before she could call security on us.

We spent the rest of the day and into the night going into girls clothing and jewellery to buy 'gifts' for Fletcher and were red faced at the end of it from laughing so hard. Suddenly Tanith stopped an d facepalmed.

"Dammit." She shouted, echoing Val's earlier sentiment.

I raised my eyebrow questionably and she facepalmed, her face transforming into one of bitter disappointment.

"We forgot to dye Skulduggery's car."

**Oh my god, so sorry for how long it took to update. Like I said, my computer was screwing up and I couldn't get onto word or text edit. **_**Then **_**I was going to make a longer chapter to make up for it but I am more of a serious writer and find it hard to write humour and I was struggling just to make it this long. I am also aware that Dawn is becoming a less and less prominent character and I will try desperately to fix that. I'm going to stop making excuses now, I just want to say thank to those who are still with me and PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!...Enjoy! **

**Ps. Any ideas for serious chapters or otherwise are most welcome, I am developing a writers block.**


	3. Unexpected

**Okay! So I finally got some reviews for my last chapter and that has motivated me to write. Sorry I have been gone for so long, I don't have an excuse this time so please don't kill me.**

The next morning I was rudely woken by a hand shaking my shoulder roughly. I groaned and shoved the hand away, causing the person to fall off the bed. There was a moment of blessed peace before the hand came back, shoving even harder than before.

"Get up Dawn!" I heard Valkyrie say, exasperated. I groaned again and opened one eye blearily.

"What is it?" I croaked. If Valkyrie was up this early than something must be wrong. When my brain finally worked around this, I shot up and glanced at her, worried. She noticed my looked and waved her hand.

"It's nothing like that. It's Fletcher's birthday remember?"

"And what has that got to do with me?" I asked, dropping my head back to the pillow.

"Nothing, really." She said. "But don't you want to see Fletcher's face when he opens his sexy black lingerie?" She said smugly, already knowing the answer. I jumped up again and practically fell out of bed in my haste to get changed. Valkyrie was waiting outside the door when I was ready. I frowned.

"Why haven't you gotten Tanith up yet? I'm sure she will want to see this too." Not to mention the fact that if we didn't wait for her, we would live to regret it.

"I know, but I am _not _going in there to wake her up by myself. I don't want another incident like last time." She said and I grinned as I remembered. Poor Val still had scars from where Tanith had scratched Val's back while trying to tear her favourite cardigan to shreds.

"True."

We crept in silence to Tanith's room and inched our way inside.

"You do it." Valkyrie told me.

"Uh uh, no way. You can do it. You've known her for longer."

"Exactly! So she won't feel as bad about killing me."


	4. Present time

We crept down the hallway quietly towards Tanith's room. We were about to enter the room when I stopped Val's hand before it could touch the doorknob.

"Wait." I whispered, before running down the stairs silently. I ran into the laundry and looked around until I found a broom. Grinning, I picked it up and took it back upstairs.

"What's that for?" Valkyrie asked me, eyeing the broom.

I ignored her and entered the room.

"Tanith?" I whispered. No answer.

"I already told you." Val said. "She sleeps like the dead unless you nudge her." She explained, exasperated. I shrugged, and moved a few small steps into the room. Valkyrie watched nervously as I reached the broom out and poked it into Tanith's side.

"That is sooo not a good idea." She stage whispered.

"Too bad." I said simply. I poked Tanith again and she groaned before rolling over. I sighed and poked her again, yelping when the broom went flying from my grasp, after being knocked aside by Tanith. She looked up slowly, glaring at me. Her hair was like a blonde birds nest around her head and the expression on her face was terrifying.

"Unless you want to be purple from head to toe, you should get out now." She said. I shivered and stepped away.

"Tanith, wait! We thought you would want to come with us to open Fletcher's presents!" Val's voice butted in. Immediately Tanith's glare dropped and her usual childish expression sprang into it's place.

"Oh my god, this is going to be so fricken funny." She said, laughing.

We stepped down to the next room. Fletcher was no better than Tanith when it came to early mornings, but _unlike _Tanith, he couldn't beat any of us if his life depended on it. This was why we took no caution when approaching him.

"Come on Fletcher!" Val sang. "It's wake up time!" Fletcher glared, but it held no terror for us and when he didn't move we grabbed his feet, pulling him out of bed.

"Oi!" He shouted.

"Come on Fletch! Don't you want to open your presents?" Val said happily.

"You guys got me presents?" He asked dubiously.

"Of course we did. We're your friends aren't we?" She said, laughing. Her statement only seemed to make Fletcher more suspicious but he was unable to resist the allure of free stuff, and the wrapping paper of course. We handed him the first one and he shook the large present in his hands, probably checking for bombs.

"Open it Fletcher, or we will take it back." I threatened, and Fletcher tore of the wrapping paper without any more hesitation. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he looked at the large pink hat with lacy ribbons and flowers adorning it.

"Do you like it Fletcher?" Val cooed, acting innocent and excited. Fletcher looked at her suspiciously but decided that he would take the ridicule over an upset Val if this turned out to be a genuine gift.

"It's lovely Val, thank you." He said unconvincingly.

"I'm glad you like it." She beamed and Fletcher smiled unconsciously. I exchanged knowing smiles with Tanith. The present opening proceeded in this fashion, with Valkyrie pretended that she put a lot of thought into his gift and Fletcher pretending to be grateful. An hour later, we stepped outside the house before cracking up into hysterical laughter.

"Did you see his face?" Valkyrie giggled.

"It's lovely Val." I said, mimicking Fletcher and we all cracked up laughing again. Meanwhile Tanith slipped back inside to bed. Me and Val were still laughing when Tanith reappeared, gesturing frantically.

"Uh, guys. You might want to come see this." She said, holding back a snicker. I raised my eyes at Val but walked over to join her. She pulled out a camera on the way and I started to smile. That camera always meant trouble and lots of embarrassment for other members of the crew. She rushed us up the stairs and outside Fletcher's room once more. She thrust the camera towards the slightly ajar door and we followed her cue, peeking into the room. The sight caused us to break into another round of manic laughter so fierce that we had to run outside to stop ourselves from disturbing Fletcher. The image would forever be burned into my mind. Fletcher parading around in a large pink hat with lace and ribbons, and wearing skimpy black lingerie.


	5. Darquesse Revealed

It was many weeks later when Tanith suddenly paused the movie we were watching and stood up, leaving us scrambling up after her in confusion.

"What is it?" I asked. Tanith looked at me seriously for a moment before answering.

"My dear Dawn. The time has come…for us to finally paint Skulduggery's car pink."

Val and I looked at each other, thinking about how this was unexpected, even for Tanith. When we finally got over the shock, our brain registered what she had said and the difference between the content of the statement and the tone of voice in which she said it. We cracked up laughing. After a moment, Tanith was unable to keep her face serious, and joined in.

"That's so true!" I gasped.

"We have been planning to do that for _ages._" Val added. Tanith nodded enthusiastically.

"It's going to be funnier than Fletcher in skimpy lingerie." Tanith agreed.

With that, we grudgingly got on another bus and left for the shops.

We left again a few hours later, hands full with their spoils, including a few tins of pink paint. We were grinning in anticipation of the upcoming entertainment. We were practically skipping down an alley when I was knocked over by a large force. I lay gasping on the ground, my bags strewn around me as I tried to regain my breath.

I heard a shout and looked over to see Tanith elbow someone square in the face. In the back of my mind I was counting the number of opponents surrounding us. Five men. Ordinary men by the looks of it, trying to force us to surrender. Tanith was fighting them easily and they seemed to have forgotten about me, but Val was being surrounded. I could see a few of the muggers near her fall over as an unexpected gust of wind knock them over, but they just got back up again and were gradually getting closer. I knew that normally Val would be able to fight them off easily, but was finding it difficult to use her powers in the close confines of the alley. I tried to get up but was unable to stand through the pain in my stomach. She tried to beat her attackers back by hand but her combat skills were still not great enough to fight so many at a time. Tanith defeating the rest of her opponents and started to make her way over to Val. Seeing this, one of Valkyrie's opponents pulled out a knife and sent it into her stomach.

All three of us cried out as the blade cut through skin, feeling her pain more keenly than our own. She dropped to the ground and I finally got the strength to stand up and was about to run to her when she suddenly stopped screaming. I slowed down, wondering how she was holding in the sound of pain from such a terrible wound. She glared up at her attackers and her eyes were like black fire, and if you looked into them it was almost as if you could see into Hel itself. Her skin drained of colour and her stomach started healing over until only the blood on her shirt betrayed that there was ever a wound there. I could only stare in shock, standing motionless on the pavement. She stood up and sent a dagger of shadows into the stomach of the man who had stabbed her, and then turned her back them and us. Her posture was cold as she walked out of the alley, leaving us to fight the attackers alone.

I felt betrayed. I had thought that Val was our friend and then she had left us to fight the remaining bandits alone, worsening the odds even more. I was made to stay in Kenspeckle's lab for a week after the incident, to recuperate after my own wound. Unfortunately for me, I didn't know how to heal it on the spot like Val did. All I knew was that Val-Valkyrie had pretended to be our friend when it suited her, and then left us alone when we were in danger, showing her real cold and selfish self. What bugged me most about the situation was that Tanith didn't even seem to _care._

"She'll come back Dawn, don't worry." She would tell me, but it only made me angrier. What if I didn't want her back? After she betrayed me, I wasn't sure I ever wanted to see her again. Of course, you hardly ever get what you want.

Valkyrie returned before I was out of recovery and she looked distraught. Of course, I knew better than to trust her now.

"Get out." I growled at her.

"Okay, I know you must be mad at me right now, but please let me explain!" She begged. "Please!" I was about to make her leave by force when I heard footsteps and turned to see Tanith running up to us. She grabbed Valkyrie and hugged her desperately.

"Oh Val! I'm so glad your back." She whispered. I clenched my fists. Tanith may be willing to accept Val after her betrayal but I was not.

"I will not work with her." I told Tanith resolutely.

"I am not going to make her leave Dawn. She is my best friend and it isn't her fault." She said softly.

"It's not her fault that she left us to fight alone? We could have _died_ Tanith."

"But we didn't." Tanith cut in. Meanwhile Valkyrie looked like she was about to have hysterics at the reminder of her betrayal. She was a good actor. Good enough that Tanith wasn't going to make her leave.

"Fine." I muttered, furious. "If she won't leave, then I will." I walked to the door and opened it, only stopping as Tanith called out to me once more.

"Please Dawn! Let's talk about this!" She begged desperately. I spoke without facing her.

"There is nothing to talk about." I said before slamming the door behind me.

I wandered through the streets aimlessly, wondering where to go next. I couldn't go home, that life was behind me and there was no way I was going back. The reflection could take over my life there from now on, it seemed real enough now form overuse. I walked for hours but didn't notice the pain in my legs. I only realized that I was tired when my legs collapsed under me and fell to my knees on the ground. The pressure of the last few days finally caught up with me, and I dropped to my back and slept. The last thing I saw before my eyes shut were the indifferent stars gazing down at me.


	6. Dusk

I was woken by the light of dawn breaking and groaned in discomfort. I looked around me and realized that I had slept on the side of the road. How embarrassing, I hope no one saw me. That trail of though was immediately followed by the memories of the last few days crashing down upon me. I caught my breath and sobbed, my heart breaking as I remember everything that had happened and everyone I had lost. I had left Rania for this new life, the one regret I had felt for leaving my past life behind. Valkyrie had betrayed me and Tanith had chosen her over me. I didn't blame Tanith; Valkyrie was like a sister to her, and traitor or not, she couldn't push those feelings aside for someone she had only known for a few months. But I couldn't go back to them either. Valkyrie's treachery had cut me deep and I had no desire to make it worse. Instead, I clamped down on my emotions, forcing them to the back of my mind. I felt numb.

Not wanting to attract attention, I moved away from the roads and started walking through the forest. I was walking surely, never deviating from the one direction as if I had somewhere to go. I didn't know where my instincts were taking me and I didn't care. The walking left my mind time to wander and my hurt turned to anger. I had learnt magic from both Tanith and Val and therefore had learnt many different disciplines. I had some control over elemental powers and a slightly stronger control over the same Adept powers as Tanith. However, my strongest powers came from my control of Necromancy, now channeled through a black bracelet on my wrist, cold to the touch and writhing with shadows. My anger fuelled the bracelet and I felt some of the darkness leaking into my blood, poisoning my mind, deepening my rage. Before long, I could no longer make a distinction between friend and foe. Valkyrie left me to die. Tanith chose her over me. She was as much of a traitor as Valkyrie was. More darkness pulsed from the bracelet and into my blood. The numbness had receded and had been replaced with a burning anger. They would pay. I looked around and realized where I was and urged on by my morbid curiosity, I stepped inside the castle where we had saved Valkyrie from Billy-Ray Sanguine. More darkness soaked through my skin. Shouldn't have bothered saving her.Should have left her to die, like she left me. I walked through the corridors and stepped through another rickety door and frowned at the contents. In the middle of the room was a plain wooden chair surrounded by sliced rope. I realized with a start that this was where Valkyrie had been tied up…and where I had nearly died saving her. Shouldn't have bothered, I thought again. More of the darkness filled me. I was so lost in my malicious thoughts that it took me several minutes to realize that there should be something there that wasn't. Or rather, _someone._ When we had killed Sanguine, we had left the body there, not bothering to bury scum like him. Now he was gone and it can't have been a mortal citizen that had found him or his death would have been all over the news. There was no stench so he must have been gone for a while but there was still a very slim chance that someone might have stayed here. A magic refugee, if you will. Not knowing who had been here was the deciding factor for me and I turned around resolutely…becoming face to face with a stranger. The man was pale with black hair and a long scar across his face. I stepped back in fright.

"Who are you?" I asked, berating myself internally when my voice trembled. The man looked at me intently and took a moment before he answered.

"My name is Dusk."

"Dusk." I repeated. Dusk. I knew that name. I remembered his name being brought up a few times in the months I had stayed with Tanith and Valkyrie. I hadn't learnt much about him due apart from the fact that he was a vampire, he had a grudge against Valkyrie, and he was dangerous.

"Leave me alone." I hissed, grateful that my voice was strong this time.

"Now now." He mocked. "That's not very polite. I only want to chat."

"Yeah chat about killing me." I spat.

"If I have to." He agreed. "But mainly, I want to kill a friend of yours, preferably painfully. Valkyrie Cain."

I started at the turn the conversation had taken. A vampire was standing in front of me, easily able to overcome me, despite my large arsenal of magic disciplines, and yet he was telling me that he wanted to kill Valkyrie? Shouldn't he be jumping at my throat or something?

"Now." He continued, breaking my chain of thought. "You can tell me willingly where she is, or I can make you." He threatened. I looked up at him thoughtfully, my rage returning when I thought of Valkyrie. My blood boiled as the darkness continued to enter me.

"I'll tell you where she is, on one condition." I proposed.

"I don't bargain." He said menacingly.

"Then you will never find her." I answered simply.

"I will inflict pain on you such as you have never felt girl." He snarled. "When death finally comes, you will embrace it like it was heaven." He threatened.

"I no longer fear pain nor death Vampire." I said evenly. Dusk was silent for a minute and stared at me intensely. I did not flinch or drop my gaze from his. Suddenly, he cracked a smile, an expression that was just wrong on his face.

"I believe you. I don't want to know what you've experienced to make you so cold but I believe you could make an interesting ally. What is your condition?"

"I want to come with you." I said, my anger returning. All of the power remaining in the bracelet filled me until I could feel nothing but darkness. My eyes went dark and all colour in my skin left me. My gaze was cold as I looked at Dusk. "I want to help you kill Valkyrie Cain."


	7. Confrontation

I led Dusk to Gordon's mansion, knowing that they would come here sometime, and so we waited. I felt the evil pumping through my blood, making me relish doing things I never would never have even thought of doing before. I glanced at Dusk out of the corner of my eye and he gestured to me to come. Without having to think about it, I used my shadows to propel myself to the roof where Dusk was keeping watch. I set myself down next to him and he pointed to a bright light down the road.

"That's them." He said and I squinted.

"How are you so sure? I can't see anything."

"My eyesight is better than yours." He didn't put the _obviously _on the end but his tone pretty much did.

"True." I replied calmly, not going to be incensed into a pointless argument. We both ducked down as a motorbike pulled into the driveway. Two figures got off, moving slowly, like they were upset. I sneered. I couldn't see the faces through the darkness but I knew it was Valkyrie and Tanith and that that they were upset by my loss. I didn't care. They made their choice to betray me and I wasn't going to give them sympathy. Sympathy was a weakness, and I no longer had any weaknesses. I waited for them to pull up inside the garage and close it before making eye contact with Dusk and jerking my head to the side. We climbed off the roof and through an upstairs window. I knew from past knowledge that this was Valkyrie's room. This time though, I was looking at it through new eyes. This was the room of a traitor. This was the room of my enemy. I sat on the enemy's bed and waited. There were heavy footsteps outside the door and the two girls enter silently with their backs to us, dropping their coats on the floor. Valkyrie turned around and shouted in surprise, instantly going into a fighting position. Dusk just stands confidently. I realized that Valkyrie was getting ready to fight Dusk and that she hadn't seen me yet. I step out from behind the vampire and into Valkyrie's line of vision.

"Dawn?" Valkyrie whispered.

"Hello Valkyrie. Tanith." I said to both of them as Tanith too got into the ready position.

"Dawn, please don't do this." Tanith begged, her eyes beseeching. I had once seen those eyes and kind and loving, now I only saw them as a betrayer's eyes. Lights to be extinguished. The darkness inside me started to boil again in my veins, but I enjoyed the pain. The pain was power.

"Dawn please, we are your friends. This isn't you." Valkyrie insisted. I glared at her coldly. I wish they would stop saying my name.

"I do want friends. Friends are weaknesses, and you don't know me. Not anymore. Just like I don't know you."

Valkyrie looked at me sadly and Tanith had tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She looked at Dusk then back at me.  
>"So you have chosen your side then? You are not going to stop until we are dead?" Tanith asked, full on crying now.<p>

"Yes."

Tanith lip quivered but she stepped in front of Valkyrie, defending the traitor. I spread my feet apart and was preparing to fight them when Valkyrie suddenly cried out.

"Tanith, wait!" She shouted. Tanith clenched her jaw, wishing she could comply, but was not willing to let me hurt Valkyrie.

"I can't Val. She'll kill you." She said through gritted teeth.

"That's because she's not herself!" She exclaimed.

"What?" She asked, confused, turning to Valkyrie now. Valkyrie closed her eyes and spoke like that.

"I can feel it Tanith. I can feel the darkness Tanith. It's _inside_ her, not in her Necromancy bracelet. The darkness is controlling her Tanith, like when Darquesse controls me!" I didn't know what they were talking about but I was getting impatient

"What?" Tanith said again. God, she was repetitive.

"It's controlling her!" Valkyrie screamed and before I could react, she lashed out with her shadows, sending daggers of darkness through Dusk. She held him in the air like this until he stopped convulsing and was still.

"Your ally is dead Dawn. You can't beat us both now, no matter how much extra power the darkness gives you. Run now." I looked at her furious. She was right I knew. Together they could kill me easily, and even though I wasn't afraid of dying, I knew that if I did I would never have my revenge against Valkyrie Cain.

My glare intensified and I jumped out of the window, making a giant pillow from the shadows and landing on them to break my fall.

I was once again perched on Gordon Edgley's roof the day after our confrontation, waiting for Valkyrie to return. She would never expect me to return so soon after my defeat and Tanith was out with Ghastly, who was trying to cheer her up. They were both fools to talk about their plans where I could listen. I smirked and entered the window again, still smiling. That was, until a heavy object hit me in the back of the head. Pain exploded in my head and my vision turned white for a moment before I fell to the ground, unconscious.


	8. Cure

"Is she awake?"

"She hasn't moved yet."

"Is she still evil?"

"She wasn't evil!"

"You know what I mean."

There was a pause.

"What if it doesn't work?" The second voice asked.

"It got the remnant out of me remember? Why wouldn't it work for this?" The voice reasoned.

"That was different. The remnant did not come from your body originally; it was from a different entity. This darkness that controls her, it is made form her own hate and anger."

Another pause and then a sigh.

"We can hope."

I knew the words but I couldn't make sense of them past the haze in my mind. I felt a strange tugging sensation inside me as well as a strange weakening. I felt the dark power in me weakening too, as if it were connected to the tugging. The stronger the tugging became, the more my powers weakened. I tried to subtly move my hands and realized that they were strapped down with. I also realized that I was lying down on a bed, and another examination revealed that my legs and my head were strapped down as well. The voices were silent now, as if they knew I was awake.  
>"Dawn?" One of the voices asked. Yep, they definitely knew I was awake. I finally grasped what was happening. The painful tugging was these voices pulling my power from me! I started to struggle. I had to get out before they drained it all from me. The voices tried to comfort me and I was unable to escape their hands. Even as I thrashed, I felt the pull growing stronger and the dark power receding. The pain increasing. The pain reached its peak and I screamed in agony. I gasped as the pain stopped and the remaining anger left me. The haze lifted and I was able to recognize individual voices.<p>

"Is it gone?" Valkyrie whispered.

"I think so. We won't know for sure until she wakes up."

"What if she doesn't forgive me Tanith?" Valkyrie asked, her voice broken.

"She will. The darkness was infecting her reason before, and pushed her anger out of control. Now that it is gone she will listen and she will understand. It _will _be fine Valkyrie."

"I hope so."

My breath started to settle and my responses going back to normal. I heard Tanith and Val's breathing stop as they waited.

My eyes opened.


End file.
